1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to devices for assisting people with medical or physical problems who require a source of oxygen to remain ambulatory. More particularly, the invention relates to a device which can be used by the person to aid them in walking and which includes supports for retaining oxygen bottles or tanks. Specifically, the invention relates to a foldable walker that provides support for the person when walking, which may include a seat to allow the person to rest; which includes supports for carrying oxygen bottles and a counterbalance to keep the center of gravity of the walker low enough to prevent the walker from tipping over during use.
2. Background Information
A number of mobility devices have been proposed in the prior art for assisting people to move around when they have either a physical or medical problem. A number of these prior art devices include supports for holding oxygen bottles. Oxygen bottles are long and heavy and tend to affect the center of gravity of walkers, wheel chairs and other mobility-aiding devices, making them unstable and prone to tipping over. This tendency to tip over is especially problematic because of the physically-challenged nature of the user of the mobility device. Furthermore, the users of mobility devices may not be physically capable of walking long distances and consequently the devices have to be strong enough to support the person. As a result, the devices proposed in the prior art have tended to be large, unwieldy structures which occupy a large amount of space when they are not in use and which fairly frequently require the user to have assistance to get into them.
A first prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,044, issued to Olson. The Olson device has a collapsible frame and a telescoping support for an intravenous drip and includes an oxygen tank support mounted on a horizontal crossbar on the frame. An armrest is the only support mechanism provided for the user to hold onto the device but, because of the compromised health of the user, this armrest is inadequate to help the user remain upright and to be able to walk with security, confidence and safety while manipulating the device over a surface. The device does allow the person to receive oxygen as they walk along but does not provide a seat for the person to sit down on and take a rest when needed. Furthermore, the positioning of the oxygen tank close to the ground and inside the enclosure formed by the frame members, makes the insertion and removal of the oxygen tank fairly difficult for someone with limited or restricted movement or strength, i.e., for the person who typically needs a walker with oxygen.
A second device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,432, issued to Dickens. This device does have adequate support for the person to hold onto as they move, but the walker is not collapsible for storage purposes. The device may also be provided with either a sling-type seat or a bicycle-type seat. The seat, when provided, however, extends into the space where the person would need to stand in order to be able to walk. The seat therefore substantially prevents the person from walking and furthermore prevents the person from alternating walking and resting because the seat cannot be easily moved out of the way. This device is also fairly complicated and requires the person to have assistance in order to get into and out of the device. Additionally, because the device includes a support for an oxygen tank on only one side of the walker, the device needs to have four wheels and a fairly wide wheelbase in order to prevent it from tipping over. The provision of two front wheels with a wide wheel base makes the device difficult to maneuver through doorways and around furniture.
A third device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,044, issued to Bierer. The device is essentially a wheelchair which includes supports for two oxygen bottles. The tank supports are positioned on the opposite sides of the frame. The tanks are held where their centers of gravity are below the center of gravity of the wheelchair when the patient is sitting therein. The Bierer device is not collapsible, the seat is welded into position and may only be adjusted vertically. Furthermore the seat cannot be pivoted out of the way so that the patient can walk using members 14 and 15 as supports. The person can therefore only use the device as a wheelchair. The positioning of the oxygen bottles close to the ground may make the wheelchair stable, but also makes it extremely difficult for an ill or disabled individual to insert or remove oxygen bottles.
A fourth prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,176, issued to Kuntz. The Kuntz device is a non-collapsible walker which includes a support for an oxygen tank secured near the front and bottom of the frame. The position of the support maintains a lower center of gravity for the walker, but again makes it more difficult to insert and remove an oxygen tank. The walker also includes leg supports through which the legs of the person are received and these supports are used to carry some or all of the person's weight. The supports appear to be fairly insubstantial and provide no place for the buttocks to rest. It is likely that an elderly, sick or disabled person would feel uncomfortable relying on these insubstantial supports to hold them up if they need to take a break from walking. Furthermore, in order for an elderly, sick or disabled person to use the walker, they would have to have assistance to insert their legs into the supports.
A fifth prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,321 issued to Hamilton. The Hamilton device is a walker which includes an U-shaped frame having an open-topped canvas bag hanging from the center of the front support of the walker. The canvas bag is adapted to carry an oxygen tank. The walker does not include a seat and is not collapsible for storage. Furthermore, the flexibility of the canvas bag may be problematic for an elderly or infirm patient who may not have the strength to manipulate a heavy oxygen tank into and out of the bag.
A sixth prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D441,694, issued to Kjell et al. This walker includes handles for the person to hold onto while walking and a seat for resting. The device does not, however, include supports for oxygen bottles.
There are many devices disclosed in the prior art for assisting people who are medically or physically disabled. However, there still exists a need in the art for a device which will assist a person in moving around independently, which collapses for storage, has a reduced tendency to tip over and which may hold oxygen bottles in a manner that makes it easier for a physically challenged person to insert and remove the tanks from the device.